Today's music entertainment systems in vehicle are often based on digital music players that contain a variety of playlists with a plurality of different music pieces. In many cars music can be played from an external portable media player or an onboard system. A stored media or radio is often chosen at random independently of the environment the vehicle is operating in.
In other applications, conventional portable music systems are used for exercising wherein a portable player detects whether a runner drifts off their desired predetermined pace. In such a case the portable player is controlled to start choosing songs from a motivational playlist rather than the standard playlist in order to help the runner maintain their desired pace. The idea in this case is to look at a performance variable such as the pace of the runner, and choose music appropriately to help bring the runner to a predetermined pace.
Some conventional vehicle music entertainment systems affect the music based on the driving conditions such as raising and lowering the volume of the music based on the vehicle speed, or driver cognitive loads from navigation or incoming phone calls. These systems look at the immediate state of the vehicle, and once they detect a specific condition, they react without foresight. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,132,596 discloses an automatic music selecting system which can select a piece of music for a driver of a vehicle depending on certain parameters. It includes a music storing device that stores a plurality of music pieces and a navigation system for detecting the current position of the vehicle. Such a system uses a current position information and sensors for detecting environmental conditions, such as a location or weather, or time, to select a music piece. Thus, depending on certain parameters, a specific music piece is selected.
However, this can lead to abrupt changes and uncoordinated playlists. Hence, there is a need for a more sophisticated music selection system for vehicles. The goal is to make the driving experience more pleasurable, as if the drive were scripted to contain a soundtrack.